Many Thanks For a Great Year!

We’ve come to the end of another HGS year, and it has been a good one. The HGS runs on volunteers, and I would like to thank everyone who has worked with us this year for being part of it.
The HGS Board this year has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make the organization work. Special thanks go to Michael Forlenza, Editor, whose calm patience I’ve tried more than once. The Editor has by far the most demanding job in the HGS, and Michael has done it beautifully. He’s been ably supported by Editor-elect Gordon Shields, associate editors Jim Ragsdale and Charles Revilla. Lilly Hargrave has handled advertising, and Lisa Krueger has designed and laid out the publication. Thanks to them all for a superb Bulletin.
Special thanks also go to the diligent John Tubb and Matt Boyd who have handled our finances, and Joe Lynch, who has organized our budget and overseen our reserve funds. Sandra Babcock handles the day-to-day accounting and gracefully got us through a multi-year audit. Our office accounting and financial control system is much more streamlined than in previous years and should be easier to maintain from here on. Additional thanks go to Ken Nemeth who has overseen the office committee for several years now.
We’ve had an excellent technical program this year, thanks to VP Art Berman and his committee chairs, Justin Vandenbrink, Steve Getz, Matthew Cowan, Tony D’Agostino and Dave Tonner, and their committees. The technical program is the lifeblood of the HGS and we are grateful to them for consistently finding great speakers. Frank Walles and Dave Tonner organized the very successful Mudstones Conference and Deborah Sacrey produced a terrific Technofest last summer (and has another great one in store for August). Paul Babcock put together Vendor’s Corners at many of our technical events, raising funds for our scholarship programs, and Dianna Phu stepped up to help with hotel contracting arrangements.
Thanks go to Gary Moore, Richard Howe, Cecelia Baum, Dave Lazor, Dee Ann Cooper, and Tom Miskelly for putting together a great series of field trips this year. Tom Tucker, Ken Schwartz, and Cheryl Desforges organized excellent short courses. Cecelia Baum and Rachel Czechowskyj ran a successful NeoGeos program.
Tarek Ghazi did a terrific job taking over the HGS website from long-time web manager Bill Osten with help from Webmaster Lilly Hargrave. He has also put together a great newsletter notification system and streamlined the website for etter usability. Peter Welch maintains the HGS Jobs Hotline, a valuable member service for which he is rarely thanked but is ery much appreciated.
Alison Henning was a member of the State of Texas Board of Education committee to develop the earth science high school curriculum and fought valiantly to keep valid earth science in our schools. Matthew Cowan and Dave Rensink traveled to Austin to testify before the Texas Senate and House about the Texas Board of Professional Geology.
Bill Osten, Chuck Caughey, and Bonnie Milne-Andrews organized Guest Night at the downtown aquarium. It was different and a lot of fun. Kudos also go to Mark Dennis, who had to deal with canceling and re-scheduling the HGS Golf ournament due to Hurricane Ike, and to Ross Davis for the Tennis Tournament and Tom McCarroll for the Skeet Shoot.
Special thanks to Tom Mather and John Tubb for sorting and cleaning out the HGS storage room after it was flooded in April. This was a nasty job, but Tom managed to save our history bydrying out Board minutes and annual reports from the pre-90s years which we will scan and preserve so this won’t happen again. Board member Walter Light organized community service events and has been a great asset to the board with his common sense ideas. Board members Ianthe Sarrazin and Mike Jones have contributed many hours and ideas.
I also want to personally thank past-president Linda Sternbach for her work on nominations and her reminders to me of what needed to be done next, and to past-presidents Charles Sternbach, Dave Rensink, Steve Levine, Steve Brachman, Craig Moore, Jim Ragsdale, and Sandi Barber for always being available to provide advice when I asked for it.
Please help me welcome the 2009-2010 Board of Directors: Gary Coburn, President, John Tubb, President-elect, Art Donovan, Vice-president, Amy Sullivan, Secretary, Matt Boyd, Treasurer, David Meaux, Treasurer-elect, and Directors Walter Light, Ianthe Sarrazin, Robert Pledger, and Tarek Ghazi. I am delighted to leave the HGS in such capable hands, and I hope they enjoy their year as much as I have enjoyed mine.
Thank you all for making this a great year for HGS, and a memorable year for me.

source: 
Kara Bennett HGS President
releasedate: 
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
subcategory: 
From the President